Alarm clock



A. P. HODGE ALARM CLOCK Oct. 24, 1933.

Filed April 5, 1930 operations.

Patented Oct. 24, 1933 gLJNTTED STATES ALARM CLOCK Albert P. Hodge, Winsted, Conn., assigner to The William L. Gilbert Clock Company, Winsted, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 5, 1930. Serial `No. 442,012

3 Claims.

This invention has to do generally-with the art of alarm clocks, and is more particularly concerned with that type of clock in which the bell which sounds the audible signal constituting the alarm is hidden; that is, inclosed within the lclock casing and out of view of an observer.

lof the alarm mechanism is mounted on the inner face of the dial plate. As a result of this arrangement a dial plate and alarm are constituted a unit which is handled as such during assembling This unit is fastened to the clockworks in the usual manner of fastening the dial plate thereto-and no other fastening means are necessary to the proper positioning of the alarm bell.

A more detailed feature of the invention is associated with the particular connection employed to fasten the alarm bell on the dial plate. In accordance with this invention a plurality of lugs are struck from the plate and cooperate with recesses in the alarm bell to effect the connection, as will hereinafter become more fully apparent.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

Figure 4 is a front View of a clockworks withparts broken away.

Figure is a detailed perspective developing the manner in which the dial plate and alarm bell unit is aflixed to the frame of the clockworks, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail showing in section, somewhat fragmentary, and is taken about on the plane represented bythe line 6--6 of Figure 2. f,

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly toFigure l, the front plate of an alarm gg clock is designated A while a clockworks is referred to generally as B. A flange 10 bears against the front plate A when the parts are in assembled relation. The particular manner in which the clockworks B is mounted on the front plate A @5 and inclosed in the casing is not material to this invention and is therefore not herein described. One manner of assembling these parts is clearly illustrated and described in the c`o-pending application of Thompson and Williams,- Serial Num 70 ber 436,216, filed March l5, 1930.

The clockworks B include the conventional operating mechanisms such as gears, pinions, rachets, springs, and so forth', supported by a frame having the usual front plate 25 and back plate 25.` An 'opening 12 is formed centrally of the plate l1 and a dial face 13 is fitted against the front face of the dial plate. Mounted on the rear face of the dial plate 1l by connection to be hereinafter described is an alarm bell 14. The latter is of a cup-like formation and the plane portion thereof lis deformed at its center to provide an offset portion l5 which bears'against the plate 11 about the marginal edge of the opening 12. A retaining hub member 16 having turned-over g5 flanges 17 and 18 extends through the opening 12 with the flanges 17 and 18 engaging the dial face and alarm bell respectively. This hub member 16 is hollow, and extending therethrough are the operating shafts (not shown) for the hands of the clock. Y

As a preferred connection for fastening the alarm bell 14 to the dial plate 11 the latter has struck therefrom a plurality of lugs 19, preferably two in number, which extend through A openings 20 in the alarm bell and are bent over as shown at 21 to effect the desired connection.

The clockworks B is affixed to the unit comprising the plate 10 and the alarm bell 14 by lugs 22 which are struck from the dial plate 11. 190 These lugs, which, in theillustrated form, are shown as being three in number,'extend rearwardly through openings in the alarm bell and are reduced at their extremities as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The reduced extremities are passed through openings 24 inthe front plate 25 and are bent over, as shown at 26, to fasten the unit and the frame of the clockworks together.' In the assembled construction, the clockworks is supported by the dial plate. Pif) The bezel 10 is provided with a cylindrical flange 9 which has fingers 8 struck therefrom and which fingers are bent over a circular flange 9 on the dial plate. This arrangement provides for attaching the bezel in place in a highly simplied manner with the accompanying advantages as to ease of assembly.

It is evident that the foregoing assembling operations have been rendered comparatively simple, due to the unitary arrangement of the dial plate and alarm bell. Moreover, the construction has been simplified as the need for individual connections for the alarm bell through the remainder of the works, as it has been heretofore the practice to employ, are obviated. Furthermore, the opening through the central part of the dial plate and alarm bell is left unrestricted for the operating shafts for the hands. Certain prior art constructions have been characterlzed by the inclusion of means for mounting the alarm bell to the framework, thereby rendering the clocks of a complex nature.

The illustrated arrangement is advantageous because it is unnecessary to provide any guard for the alarm bell. The latter engages the dial plate only at the center thereof and there is, therefore, no interference with the making of the alarm signal. The cupped portion of the alarm bell is located well within the periphery of the clockworks and does not touch other parts.

Obviously other means for fastening the alarm bell to the dial plate may be availed of, and the illustrated connection is merely to be taken as one way of attaining this end and is not intended as limiting the scope of the invention.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely difiermt embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawlng shall be interpreted as illustrative and not ma limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter o! language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

l. In a clock mechanism of the class described and in combination, a clockworks including a frame having recesses therein, a dial plate, lugs struck from the dial plate adjacent the central portion thereof, and other lugs struck from the dial plate adjacent to its periphery, an alarm bell of cup-like formation having recesses corresponding to the lugs on the dial plate, the centrally disposed lugs extending through the recesses of the alarm bell and being bent over to positively fasten the alarm bell to the dial plate while the peripheral lugs extend through and beyond the recesses in the alarm bell and also through the recesses in the framework of the clockworks Where they are bent over to retain the dial plate and alarm bell as a unit on the clockworks.

2. In a clock mechanism of the character described, av clockworks including a frame, a dial plate, an alarm bell, means for fastening the alarm bell to the dial plate, and means extending between the outer edge portion of the dial plate and the cloekworks for connecting the dial plate and the alarm bell as a unit to the frame of the clockworks.

3. In a clock mechanism of the character described, a clockworks including a frame having a front plate, a dial plate, lugs on the dial plate for securing the same to said front plate, an alarm bell having recesses therein, and additional lugs struck from the dial plate and extending through the recesses in the alarm bell and bent over to fasten the alarm bell to the dial plate whereby the plate and bell are constituted a unit.

ALBERT P. HODGE. 

